WATCH | Zweli Mkhize takes up 'Jerusalema' dance challenge
But health ministry uses viral challenge to promote safety and sanitising
Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize has heeded President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call to join in the Jerusalema dance challenge on Heritage Day.
Mkhize released a three minutes video on Thursday, showing him and his team — dressed in black and white — participate in the challenge.
In the video, the health ministry added a bit of creativity to the dance moves by holding placards and with Mkhize at one point spraying sanitiser on his colleagues' hands.
“Stay safe. Level 1. We made it. But remember. Wear your mask. Wash your hands,” read some of the placards.
Mkhize, in a second video posted on the SA Coronavirus website, said that Jerusalema was a reminder that there was light even in a period of darkness.
“It's our Heritage Month. Let us use this to uplift ourselves and unite ourselves by having fun, remembering that we've gone through a very difficult time and still have, possibly, difficult times ahead.
“That's what this song means to us, that in the midst of a crisis we found space to be loving, compassionate, to find space to enjoy ourselves and to encourage and comfort each other,” he said.
Meanwhile, South Africans - individuals and businesses - have also taken up Ramaphosa's challenge. These are some of the videos shared on the Presidency's official Twitter account:
[WATCH]: South Africa responds to the call by President @CyrilRamaphosa to take up the #JerusalemaChallenge 🇿🇦 #HeritageDay2020 #JerusalemaDanceChallenge #MyHeritageYourHeritage pic.twitter.com/MfU4Rj89iI
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) September 24, 2020
We are the nation that is taking the world by storm with the #JerusalemaChallenge, as young and old in France, the UK, Jamaica, Angola and even in Palestinian East Jerusalem itself are getting in on the craze.
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 #StaySafe (@CyrilRamaphosa) September 24, 2020
#heritageday2020 pic.twitter.com/uD6cuIzYpy
[WATCH]: @Powerfm987 responds to the call by President @CyrilRamaphosa to take up the #JerusalemaChallenge 🇿🇦 #HeritageDay2020 #JerusalemaDanceChallenge #MyHeritageYourHeritage pic.twitter.com/q8TwxehuzM
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) September 24, 2020
[WATCH]: The Presidency responds to the call by President @CyrilRamaphosa to take up the #HeritageDay2020 #JerusalemaDanceChallenge. Shout out to @MasterKGsa and @Nomcebozikode for pulling through to the Union Buildings to lead us through the challenge. #MyHeritageYourHeritage pic.twitter.com/yCxVqQVrqE
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) September 24, 2020
[WATCH]: South Africa responds to the call by President @CyrilRamaphosa to take up the #JerusalemaChallenge 🇿🇦 #HeritageDay2020 #JerusalemaDanceChallenge #MyHeritageYourHeritage pic.twitter.com/Hpww1yrtHg
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) September 24, 2020
[WATCH]: South Africa responds to the call by President @CyrilRamaphosa to take up the #JerusalemaChallenge 🇿🇦 #HeritageDay2020 #JerusalemaDanceChallenge #MyHeritageYourHeritage pic.twitter.com/2K6x99ozoo
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) September 24, 2020
[WATCH]: South Africa responds to the call by President @CyrilRamaphosa to take up the #JerusalemaChallenge 🇿🇦 #HeritageDay2020 #JerusalemaDanceChallenge #MyHeritageYourHeritage pic.twitter.com/vcn6lTS48y
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) September 24, 2020
[WATCH]: South Africa responds to the call by President @CyrilRamaphosa to take up the #JerusalemaChallenge 🇿🇦 @Blitzboks #HeritageDay2020 #JerusalemaDanceChallenge #MyHeritageYourHeritage pic.twitter.com/iY3AarS8kk
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) September 24, 2020
[WATCH]: @Newzroom405 respond to the call by President @CyrilRamaphosa to take up the #JerusalemaChallenge 🇿🇦 #HeritageDay2020 #JerusalemaDanceChallenge #MyHeritageYourHeritage pic.twitter.com/mIm8oAjO73
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) September 24, 2020
Ramaphosa in his last address to the nation, urged citizens to take up the challenge as part of the festivities for the day.
“There can be no better celebration of our South African-ness than joining the global phenomenon that is the Jerusalema dance challenge. I urge all of you to take up this challenge ... and show the world what we are capable of,” Ramaphosa said.
Jerusalema, which is composed and produced by Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode, has been topping the charts across the world.
The official music video has had nearly 140 million views since it premiered on YouTube in December 2019.
TimesLIVE
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[WATCH]: South Africa responds to the call by President @CyrilRamaphosa to take up the #JerusalemaChallenge 🇿🇦 #HeritageDay2020 #JerusalemaDanceChallenge #MyHeritageYourHeritage pic.twitter.com/2K6x99ozoo
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) September 24, 2020
[WATCH]: The Presidency responds to the call by President @CyrilRamaphosa to take up the #HeritageDay2020 #JerusalemaDanceChallenge. Shout out to @MasterKGsa and @Nomcebozikode for pulling through to the Union Buildings to lead us through the challenge. #MyHeritageYourHeritage pic.twitter.com/yCxVqQVrqE
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) September 24, 2020
We are the nation that is taking the world by storm with the #JerusalemaChallenge, as young and old in France, the UK, Jamaica, Angola and even in Palestinian East Jerusalem itself are getting in on the craze.
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 #StaySafe (@CyrilRamaphosa) September 24, 2020
#heritageday2020 pic.twitter.com/uD6cuIzYpy